Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett flew to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to be examined by team doctors after being struck in the face by a batted ball.
Burnett, who was wearing a helmet, was injured Wednesday during a bunt drill. The Pirates have not released specific information about Burnett's injury, and he left the team's spring training complex without speaking to reporters.
Burnett bunted the ball straight up, and it caught him near the right eye. He dropped into a crouch, apparently dazed, and was immediately examined by an athletic trainer. Burnett soon recovered and even cracked a joke — "Where did the bone go?" — before being led off the field with a towel over his face.
Burnett had been scheduled to pitch two innings Sunday in a Grapefruit League game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Pirates acquired him at the start of spring training in a three-player trade with the New York Yankees, and he was expected to be the Pirates' starter on Opening Day.